1

King Ling College S5 Grand Tour Report Class 5B Group 1 Date: 11th April – 14th April 2014 Kuala Lumpur

2

Contents Introduction-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3 Reflection: Day 1------------------------------------------------------------------------------4 Reflection: Day 2------------------------------------------------------------------------------8 Reflection: Day 3-----------------------------------------------------------------------------11 Reflection: Day 4-----------------------------------------------------------------------------15 Conclusion-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------17 Group Member List--------------------------------------------------------------------------18

3

Introduction

The rationale of the grand tour is to give us a chance to have cultural learning through the observation outside classroom, not just on books. Besides, as we are going to graduate next year, the grand tour will definitely be a memorable part of our secondary school life. Originally, we chose to visit Bangkok. However, since there were protests

against the government in Thailand, our destination was finally changed to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which has a similar culture with Thailand.

Other than sightseeing and cultural learning, promoting our skills in dealing with different people is also one of the objectives we wanted to achieve.

4

Reflection: Day 1

Putra Mosque

Spots description Putra Mosque is the biggest and oldest mosque in Malaysia. As a lot of

Malaysians believe in Islam, this historic building occupies a dominant position to all of these religions.

Since the mosque has stood for a long history, the interior decoration originates from the traditional Islamic style. Thus, just when you got in the mosque, you could already feel the solemn atmosphere over there.

Different with other mosques, the Putra Mosque was painted in pink. It has definitely shown its uniqueness. That is why it is an impressive place for tourists.

Reflection During the short time we stayed in the mosque, we could not see any cleaning staff there and thus no garbage was left there. All tourist and Malaysian did stick to the rule. In contrast, it is common to find that some Islam are having lunch just outside the entrance of the mosque in Tsim Sha Tsui. Some are even smoking near the mosque and rubbish is easily spotted on the stairs. These differences show the different rules and religious atmosphere between two places. Different mosques consist of different standards and expectations to the Islam. As Hong Kong is a multicultural city, which comprises several religions, it is hard for Islam to cultivate a formal atmosphere in Hong Kong. We do appreciate the Islam in Malaysia because of their spirit of perseverance to insist on following the strict rules of Islam, such as go to the mosque every day. Unlike these devoted Islam in Malaysia, Islam in Hong Kong may not be capable to follow this rule as they have to comply with the fast pace of a city and bear a relatively heavier workload. In order to comply with current society, mosques include different rules. Therefore, we should appreciate the work of Malaysia’s government to reserve such a grumous religious atmosphere.

5

Photo

6

Jalan Damansara

Spots description During the trip, we have visited a lot of impressive places, including the

National Museum, Jalan Damansara. Exhibits in this museum displayed the tools, such as currency, different

kinds of models, which used to maintain life in the past. Visitors can know more about the history of Kuala Lumpur and the citizens’ life through the exhibits. Other than the exhibits, modern technologies like 3D projectors are used in the museum to demonstrate the reality life of citizens in the old days.

Reflection After visiting the National Museum, we understood the cultural differences

between Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong. First, women in Kuala Lumpur usually wear long dresses and some of

them use wear Muslim headscarves, the hijab, because of the religious reasons or just for decoration. Secondly, English and Marathi are the official languages of Malaysia. Marathi is the common language in west India. However, a few of locals would be able to communicate in Putonghua or Cantonese. We found it quite difficult to communicate with the locals since not everyone can speak English fluently. Therefore, body language plays a vital role in this time. It was a good chance for us to learn how to accept and try to eliminate the cultural differences between different countries.

Besides, knowing more the history of Maylasia allows us to understand the influence of history towards the culture of Malaysia comprehensively, for instance, the reason why a lot of citizens in Maylasia are Muslim.

We truly understood that learning is not just only focusing on books, but also in life. Sometimes we may find history bored but actually it is closely linked to people’s daily life. After this tour, our interests towards history have advanced. We would like to learn more on the history of different countries.

7

Photo

8

Reflection: Day 2

i-City

Spots description In the dark, we could clearly see a significant landmark in Malaysia, i-City,

with its decorative lightings. The colorful LED lights around have highlighted numerous man-made maple and pine trees in i-City. With the colorful lightings, tourists can feel the atmosphere of Christmas. Cameras were around to capture the delighting moments. In addition, tourists can enjoy a variety of rides in i-City such as the cable car, flying swings and Ferris wheel.

Reflection For us, the rails may seem nothing special and exciting and attractive at all,

as they were similar to those in Ocean Park or Disneyland in Hong Kong. However, after having a slow ride, we could capture every part of i-City, which is full of wonderful decorations and glimmering lights. Once we got on the ride, we could really feel the atmosphere of happiness and we had suddenly become a naïve child.

Managing a place with large amount of LED lights is not easy. Originally, it would just be a simple theme park if there were only simple rails and decorations around. But the idea of placing LED lights has actually brought lives to the park which let it become a unique place. Every decoration in i-City was well organized and divided into different zones to avoid mismatch of the color of lights. In this case, tourists will not easily feel dazzling with the light. Local people like to visit i-City with their families. It was certainly a place which was suitable for people in any generations and especially kids as they will feel like they have entered a paradise. Sometimes, just forget everything and get a crazy ride, you will find how simple happiness is. Life is always full of intriguing and happiness everywhere.

9

Photo

10

Batu Cave

Spots description The iconic statue of Murugan has attracted people's eye balls towards the

Batu Cave. Although it just seems to be a simple limestone hill, it is actually an important religious site for the Hindus. During the yearly Thaipusam festival, it has become a crowded place for Hindus from every corner of the world. It is believed that when people successfully climb up the 272 steps of stairs to Batu Cave, they would be able to get rid of illness.

Reflection Under the introduction of our tour guide, we have learned more on the

culture of Hindu. While we were travelling around the bottom of the Batu Cave, we saw a lot of Hindus, having a religious ceremony. The cultural difference is what we could learn at the time in travelling. What is more, after exploring on the 272 steps of stairs, we could really feel their devout towards their religion. Climbing up 272 steps of stairs sounds easy but it is not true. As the stairs are tough, it was more difficult to do so. Every step is heart-shaking. However, we just kept climbing up the stairs without any hesitation. The spirit of “Never give up” was clearly shown. In contrast, not every one of us could keep up to get on the Batu Cave successfully. Some even chose to stay downstairs but not to give a try. Maybe our life in Hong Kong is too easy, which we could not learn to face the difficulties. Then, we just directly choose to give up whenever we meet tough tasks. Or, we are too getting used to comfortable environments. That is why we prefer to have air-conditioning in the souvenir shop, fizzy drinks in tuck shops, but not climbing up to the Batu Cave. Then, we miss the valuable chance to appreciate the fascinating scenery. The more we appreciate, the more we explore, and the more we can learn. If you just sit there and do nothing, no one could help. You are just giving up yourselves. Travelling is not just for fun, but to learn more at the same time. It reminded us that learning is an essential part of life and it never stops.

11

Photo

12

Reflection: Day 3

PADI farm

Spots description PADI farm is an entirely natural farm, not only has it involved wide range of

fruit trees and plants, but also wild animals like raccoon and goats. With the abundant programs arrangements held by the owner, we had the honor to try to make handmade rattan baskets and dumplings. Also, we had the chance to make traditional peanut flavor pastry with layers of coconut and tasted leaves of different trees. At last, we tried traditional gyroscope which was very challenging and exciting.

Reflection Day 3 was undoubtedly the most unforgettable day as PADI farm is our

favorite spot. In Hong Kong, we are living in a bustling city that we seldom have the chances to try a slow-paced lifestyle just like people in Melaka and slow down our paces to appreciate the nature around us. We realized that we should take chances to visit Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens or Hong Kong Global Geopark of China in order to enhance our insufficient knowledge of nature.

Moreover, we especially liked the tranquil environment. The natural and simple lifestyle let us forgot about the hustle and worries. This has undoubtedly promoted our environmental awareness and we should be thankful and cherish the natural environment near King Ling College as the school established a comfortable learning environment. Also, we clearly felt their perseverance, passion and pride on the planting in their farm, their meticulous attitudes of dedication motivated us to work harder for our responsibilities of being a well qualified student.

To sum up, all memories were so vivid and we surely recognized the valuable nature which we have to treasure more. Meanwhile, when compared with the original state Melaka and Hong Kong, we feel grateful of ourselves of living in a small but advanced city with abundant resources of material which can support us to develop potential abilities.

13

Photo

14

The Stadhuys

Spots description The Stadhuys was founded in 1650. It is believed that the Stadhuys is the most antiquity historical remains in far eastern district. It is also a fine example of Dutch architecture of that period. The Portuguese has colonized Melaka in the past and built a fortress called A'Famosa. As Melaka was the centre of struggles between super powers of the time, and suffered the constant threat of attack, the A'Famosa fort was critical in Portugal maintaining its colonial foothold in the Far East.

Reflection Although Hong Kong has varying historical buildings like Malaysia, the

atmosphere is not as comfortable as in the Stadhuys. During the visit, we saw someone collecting maple leaves that fell on the verdant lawn. Yet, in Hong Kong, citizens would never bother to pick up the fruits fell on the ground. In Melaka, many may stop to admire the great performance by a street juggler, while Hong Kong people are more likely to walk pass and rush for work.

The Stadhuys and A'Famosa are the perfect combination of the Portuguese and Dutch style architecture, as it was the centre of struggles between super powers from Europe of the time. Both of them are the valuable historical relic nowadays. Although the entire fortress was destroyed after a seven-year attack by the Dutch, it still commanded our admiration.

There were upbeat tourist spots filled with festival atmosphere. Some were sitting on the tour rickshaw which is decorated with varying colorful cartoon dolls, some were parachuting across the blue sky, and some were taking her pretty wedding photos. We strolled up St. Paul's Hill on a sunny afternoon and wandered among the majestic trees and historical remnants. We also saw a talented pavement artist, selling his landscape paintings in the corner of the fortress with his lovely cats, more like a street gallery. Those drawings were fascinating, and they were so nice when we required for a photo taking.

People over there enjoyed the sunshine with their family. Everything looked bright and beautiful under such a good weather yet it has reminded us to slow our pace down and relax from busy works.

15

Photo

16

Reflection: Day 4

Forest Research Institute Malaysia

Spots description On the last day in Kuala Lumpur, we went to the Forest Research Institute

Malaysia. We first visited an exhibition about Forest Research Institute Malaysia. Unfortunately, photo taking was not allowed. The exhibition has shown the history and information of the research institute, as well as some wood product and sample of insects. Later, we went into the forest. There were too many plants that we were not familiar with, such as sepulcher made of slab, elephant tree or poisonous flower with purple color. We could never see these in our modern society.

Reflection As mentioned, we have never seen all of these in Hong Kong. Hong Kong

does not have the rainforest because of dense population and no one would like to put effort into creating such a man-made forest just for conducting researches. It was really a good chance for us to realize what an artificial tropical rainforest is like.

What is more, before entering the forest, the guide told us three rules to follow: leave nothing, kill nothing and get nothing. Hongkongers should learn about the rules. It is because we, Hongkongers, often like to leave rubbish around, get things around us, killing annoying insects surrounded us, unfortunately, these actions have became one of our bad habits. Visiting the forest was not just for a glance through and then to leave, we must take the chance of learning something outside the classroom. So this time, we have learnt that we should not take anything out of the forest or kill any lives in the forest. If we did not have a chance to visit the Forest Research Institute Malaysia, we might never know how to seek help by slapping the tree root, the features of trees in the tropical country and more. Through the trip, we learnt more about the ecosystem of the forest and Malaysia.

17

Photo

18

Conclusion

Though we immersed in this religious city for four days, we understood the strong connection between the power of religious and local culture. After this memorable tour, we learnt to stay monogamous to our beliefs and our works, just the same way of Malaysians believes in their religion. Our attitudes lead our lives to success.

19

Group Member List

5B Chan Yuk Wan (3)

5B Lam Po Tung (9)

5B Lau Hoi Yi (10)

5B Leung Chung Yin (13)

5B Ng Wai Ting (17)

5B Wong Pui Ying (21)

5B Yip Pui Ki (23)

20